Outboard-motor driving, steering, and reversing mechanism



Sept. 11, 1923. 1,467.52] .1. R. ALEXANDER OUTBOARD MOTOR DRIVING, STEERING, AND REVERSING MECHANISM Filed May 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. R. ALEXANDEQ OUTBOARD MOTOR DRIVING, STEERING, AND REVEREEING MECHANISM Filed May 4, 1925 2 Shesis-Sheei 2 Patented Sept. II, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,467,521 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHNSTON ROBERTSON ALEXANDER, O1 BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN LANCASTER, ENGLAND; GORDON HENRY FRASER, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, AND JAMES RYDER OHANLON, OF WEST- GEORGE AULSEBROOK KITCHEN, OF

WOLD, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

' OUTBOARD-MOTOR DRIVING, STEERING,.AND REVERSING MECHANISM.

Application filed May 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OIXHNSTON ROBERTSON ALEXANDER, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and resident of 12 Cearns Road, Birkenhead, in the county of Chester, England, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsRelating to Outboard-Motor Driving, Steering, and Reversing Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to outboard motors for propelling vessels and has for its object to provide an improved combination and arrangement of parts whereby the outboard motor and the propeller driven thereby can be rotated in a constant direction and at constant speed and the steering, reversing and speed variation be effected independently thereof and without swivelling the propeller.

My invention comprises the improved combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the stern of a boat with an outboard motor equipment constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention, the engine being omitted for simplicity in the illustration.

Figure 2 is. a plan view of the rudder operating gear. I

The same reference letters in the two views indicate the same parts.

The outboard motor equipment is adapted to be secured to the stern of the boat by the frame a and clamp 12. The frame a has two similarbrackets cthereon (one only being shown in Figure 1) each with a slot 60 d therein to which the hollow column 6 1s adj ustably secured. The said frame alsocarries the pivot pin f of the member 9- which receives the upper end of the column e and also'forms at its upper end the. support for the engine which is not shown in detall but is indicated by the. broken ofi part h. When the connection of the column e to the brackets c is adjusted, the member 9 turns about the pivot f. l

- Through the column 6 passes the dnvm shaft 6 by which the propeller y is rota by suitable gearing. The propeller shaft journal and thrust bearings are earned in 1923. Serial No. 636,711.

the casing is secured upon the lower end or" the column e. Such casing also carries a projecting arm m in which is secured the pivot pin 'n for the lower end of the duplex rudder plates 0, p. The upper ends of the latter are secured to two concentric rudder stocks q, 1", the outer one of which is carried in brackets s, t attached to the column e and to the member 9 respectively. The upper ends of the stocks 9, r carry arms u, e which are connected by links-w, as both to arms y, z pivoted about a dummy rudder stock 3 carried by the member 9 and to links 4, 5 pivotally attached to a nut 6 on a screw 7 which is rotatable by a hand wheel 8. The

arms 3 z are similar and parallel to the arms 4;, u. The tiller through which the screwed spindle 7 passes is made in two parts 9, 10, the part 9 screwing into 10 and the latter having slots at its opposite sides for the 4 lugs on the nut 6 to which links t and 5v are attached. The part 10 is pivoted about the dummy stock 3.

,With the arrangement hereinbefore described, the outboard equipment is a selfcontained unit of which the engine and propeller are adapted to be directly coupled for contlnuous operation at normal maximum speed, the propeller axis being fixed. For steering purposes the tiller 9, 10 is turned about its pivot which is the dummy stock 3 and such turning movement is transmitted by the links 4, 5 and the parallel linkage system 3 'w, o and 2, w, w to the concentr1c= rudder stocks 1, g and so to .the rudder blades 12, 0 which deflect the ropeller stream and so by their reaction e ect the desired steering operation. For speed variation and boat reversing purposes, the hand wheel 8 is rotated. This by means of the nut 6 on the screw 7, and the linkage system before referred to causes the rudder blades to be turned through equal angles in opposite directions whereby the rudder blades are brought close together behind the propeller to retard or when forming a closed pocket behind the propeller, to reverse the propeller stream. If the tiller be turned about the dummy stock 3 at the same time thatthe hand wheel 8 is rotated combined speed variation and steering control is efiected.

My vimproved arran ement is compact and eflic'ient and simp the control of'a boat fitted with outboard motor equipment.

I claim 1. Outboard motor equipment for vessels comprising, incombination, a frame with clamping means thereon, a member pivotally attached to said frame, a column carried by said member and adjustably secured to said frame, an engine upon said member, a casing attached to said column carrying the propeller and propeller shaft, an engine driven shaft through said column rotating said propeller, duplex rudder plate-s pivotally carried at their lower ends by a bracket from the propeller casing, concentric rudder stocks astern of. and supported from said column and secured to the upper ends of said rudder plates, a dummy rudder stock between said concentric rudder stocks and dummy rudder stock, a tiller fulcrumed about said dummy rudder stock, means longitudinally movable upon said tiller, and links connecting said longitudinally movable means to said parallel linkage system, as set forth.

2. In an out-board motor equipment as claimed in claim 1, a screw rotatable within thev tiller, a hand wheel upon the end of the tiller to rotate the said screw, a nut upon said screw connected to the parallel linkage system, and means preventing the nuts rotation, as set forth.

3. In an outboard motor equipment as claimed in claim 1, a parallel linkage system consisting of similar and parallel arms upon the concentric rudder stocks and dummy stock and links connecting said parallel arms, as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification.

JOHNSTON ROBERTSON ALEXANDER. 

